The MDC says Zimbabwe's international image has been tarnished by Grace Mugabe's alleged assault, and Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has been released from prison and treason charges against him have been dropped.

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Washington - The state department on Saturday ordered the departure of all family members and non-essential US government personnel from its embassies in Sudan and Tunisia and warned US citizens against any travel to the two countries due to security concerns over rising anti-American violence.

"Given the security situation in Tunis and Khartoum, the state department has ordered the departure of all family members and non-emergency personnel from both posts, and issued parallel travel warnings to American citizens," said department spokesperson Victoria Nuland.

In Tunisia, the warning advised Americans that the international airport in Tunis is open and encouraged all US citizens to depart on commercial flights. It said Americans who chose to remain in Tunisia should use extreme caution and avoid demonstrations.

On Friday, protesters climbed the walls into the US Embassy in Tunis, torching cars in the parking lot, trashing the entrance building and setting fire to a gym and a neighbouring American school that is now unusable.

In Sudan, the warning said that while the Sudanese government has taken steps to limit the activities of terrorist groups, some remain and have threatened to attack Western interests. The terrorist threat level remains "critical" throughout Sudan, the department said. It noted that US officials are already required to travel in armoured vehicles and to get permission to travel outside Khartoum, where crowds torched part of the German Embassy and tried to storm the US Embassy on Friday.

A US official said on Saturday that Sudan's government is holding up the deployment of an elite Marine team that the US planned to send to Khartoum to boost security at the embassy.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton worked the phones on Saturday, calling top officials from seven countries to discuss the situation following a wave of protest and violence over an anti-Muslim film that has swept across the Middle East and elsewhere in recent days.

An obscure, amateurish movie called Innocence of Muslims that depicts Muhammad as a fraud, a womaniser and a paedophile sparked the outrage.

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